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This article was written by Steve Holland of the Holland Stud and is used by his permission.

FOSTERING

Fostering Not until a long distance telephone conversation over the Christmas holidays did I realise how little information there is regarding fostering exhibition budgerigars. It seems to be a subject that most make up as they go along. We in The Holland Stud have as a matter of cause fostered for as long as I can remember, the fact is that our father has a few sayings when it comes to our birds and one is “Never put all your eggs in one basket”. What he means by this is that we should spread the risk of loosing eggs and chicks over as many nests as possible and not hope that the paternal parents will raise all their chicks. We look at this as a percentage game. It is common practise for us to split a number of pair’s eggs or chicks between several pairs. The reason is simple, it is rare that all the pairs will fail to sit the eggs and raise the chick where as it can be the case that one pair (and its normally your best pair) will do this. By spreading the eggs and chick across the aviary we should get some return off all of the pairs. So the question has to be what, and when to foster! There are a few simple rules to start with that must be followed to start with. First you should date mark all your eggs as they are laid, second when you move eggs mark the egg with the cage number they have come from. Good record keeping is an ecclesial when fostering eggs or chicks around the aviary so that you can ensure your following years pairing are not too close. If you are to foster eggs, always foster into a nest where the eggs in that nest match the date of the eggs being fostered into it. (Hence the need for date marking eggs) I have know breeders foster eggs into a nest that are much younger than those in the nest, only to see the hen clear the nest because nothing has hatched and she is preparing for her next round. Remember hens have a natural cycle when they are laying and failure to see chicks in the nest box at the appropriate time seems to trigger the cycle to kick in early. If you foster several pairs eggs in to different nest try to keep the eggs in batches, for example two eggs of pair one that have been laid on the 1st and 3rd of the month, the next pairs eggs ideally would have been laid on the 5th and 7th and the third pairs eggs would have been laid on the 9th and 11th. By following this pattern it’s easy to identify the chick as the hatch simply on a size basis and it allows you to mix 3 pairs into 3 nests. I have no problems fostering eggs at any stage of development as long as the pair you are fostering to have matching dated eggs and that they are sitting their clutch well. When it comes to fostering chicks. Again if a few simple rule are employed you should not have a great deal of problems. Never foster into a nest without chicks. I have attempted this but without a great deal of success. If the pair is not feeding they seem unwilling to start without having heard the chick chipping. The better option is to foster the egg as it’s chipping. Move chicks into nests that match the clutches age. Younger chicks will struggle and older chicks may overwhelm the nest. Ideally move chicks that have been rung so that you can identify them late. When you move a chick rub some of the nest material over its body, I know people will tell you that bird cant smell, but I have seem my own birds react to some foods as I open a jar and it is a reaction to smell. By rubbing the chick with nest material it smells the same as the rest of the nest. The maximum age for fostering should be about 3 weeks old. I have fostered, out of necessity, at a greater age, but the risk of rejection is increased the older the chick being fostered. Using fostering to maximise the output from pairs As I said above we have a few saying that we use around the aviary and one of them is “breeding is a percentage game” and we will do most thing to try and increase the percentage return off a pair. I have this year get hens that lay large clutches. Once a hen has reached 4 eggs in a clutch, start fostering out the oldest eggs. With the right hen limiting the size of the clutch seems to induce the hen to continue to lay eggs. As long as the eggs are fertile you are increasing your potential percentage return from the pair. This is where I have no problems with having a couple of pairs with clear eggs, they give you the opportunity to take large clutches off hens as described above. Keep feeding/raising records as part of you breeding records When I collect my breeding team every year from our main aviary my brother Michael will have put notes on any of the pairs that need to have an eye kept on them. As a matter of cause we will record on all breeding card if a cock or hen has given us problems in the breeding cage the previous year. This year one of the notes was “remove all chicks from nest… Cock kills as chicks leave the nest” Another was “ hen feather plucks” These simple notes can then be used to prevent re-occurrences of the previous years events and again increase the percentage returns on a pairing I now use coloured stickers on the nest boxes so that I can at a glance see what has happened in a nest box. All the problem pairs have a black star on the edge of the nest box as a reminder over the season that I need to take some action with the pair as they lay. By using these simple steps I have been able to move eggs and chick to foster parents and ensure a return off some excellent pairs.

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This article was written by Steve Holland of the Holland Stud and is used by his permission.

FOSTERING

Fostering Not until a long distance telephone conversation over the Christmas holidays did I realise how little information there is regarding fostering exhibition budgerigars. It seems to be a subject that most make up as they go along.

We in The Holland Stud have as a matter of cause fostered for as long as I can remember, the fact is that our father has a few sayings when it comes to our birds and one is “Never put all your eggs in one basket”. What he means by this is that we should spread the risk of loosing eggs and chicks over as many nests as possible and not hope that the paternal parents will raise all their chicks.

We look at this as a percentage game. It is common practise for us to split a number of pair’s eggs or chicks between several pairs. The reason is simple, it is rare that all the pairs will fail to sit the eggs and raise the chick where as it can be the case that one pair (and its normally your best pair) will do this. By spreading the eggs and chick across the aviary we should get some return off all of the pairs.

So the question has to be what, and when to foster! There are a few simple rules to start with that must be followed to start with. First you should date mark all your eggs as they are laid, second when you move eggs mark the egg with the cage number they have come from. Good record keeping is an ecclesial when fostering eggs or chicks around the aviary so that you can ensure your following years pairing are not too close.

If you are to foster eggs, always foster into a nest where the eggs in that nest match the date of the eggs being fostered into it. (Hence the need for date marking eggs) I have know breeders foster eggs into a nest that are much younger than those in the nest, only to see the hen clear the nest because nothing has hatched and she is preparing for her next round. Remember hens have a natural cycle when they are laying and failure to see chicks in the nest box at the appropriate time seems to trigger the cycle to kick in early.

If you foster several pairs eggs in to different nest try to keep the eggs in batches, for example two eggs of pair one that have been laid on the 1st and 3rd of the month, the next pairs eggs ideally would have been laid on the 5th and 7th and the third pairs eggs would have been laid on the 9th and 11th. By following this pattern it’s easy to identify the chick as the hatch simply on a size basis and it allows you to mix 3 pairs into 3 nests.

I have no problems fostering eggs at any stage of development as long as the pair you are fostering to have matching dated eggs and that they are sitting their clutch well.

When it comes to fostering chicks. Again if a few simple rule are employed you should not have a great deal of problems. Never foster into a nest without chicks. I have attempted this but without a great deal of success. If the pair is not feeding they seem unwilling to start without having heard the chick chipping. The better option is to foster the egg as it’s chipping. Move chicks into nests that match the clutches age. Younger chicks will struggle and older chicks may overwhelm the nest. Ideally move chicks that have been rung so that you can identify them late. When you move a chick rub some of the nest material over its body, I know people will tell you that bird cant smell, but I have seem my own birds react to some foods as I open a jar and it is a reaction to smell. By rubbing the chick with nest material it smells the same as the rest of the nest.

The maximum age for fostering should be about 3 weeks old. I have fostered, out of necessity, at a greater age, but the risk of rejection is increased the older the chick being fostered. Using fostering to maximise the output from pairs As I said above we have a few saying that we use around the aviary and one of them is “breeding is a percentage game” and we will do most thing to try and increase the percentage return off a pair.

I have this year get hens that lay large clutches. Once a hen has reached 4 eggs in a clutch, start fostering out the oldest eggs. With the right hen limiting the size of the clutch seems to induce the hen to continue to lay eggs. As long as the eggs are fertile you are increasing your potential percentage return from the pair. This is where I have no problems with having a couple of pairs with clear eggs, they give you the opportunity to take large clutches off hens as described above. Keep feeding/raising records as part of you breeding records

When I collect my breeding team every year from our main aviary my brother Michael will have put notes on any of the pairs that need to have an eye kept on them. As a matter of cause we will record on all breeding card if a cock or hen has given us problems in the breeding cage the previous year. This year one of the notes was “remove all chicks from nest… Cock kills as chicks leave the nest” Another was “ hen feather plucks” These simple notes can then be used to prevent re-occurrences of the previous years events and again increase the percentage returns on a pairing I now use coloured stickers on the nest boxes so that I can at a glance see what has happened in a nest box. All the problem pairs have a black star on the edge of the nest box as a reminder over the season that I need to take some action with the pair as they lay.

By using these simple steps I have been able to move eggs and chick to foster parents and ensure a return off some excellent pairs.

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i have a question for Kaz, Finnie, any Breeder with more knowledge than I have-this is the first time this has happened.My one hen was disturbed while hatching eggs, One of the Lovebirds got through from other side of Aviary and forced Mom out of the nest and was sitting on the eggs. No injuries were sustained but it upset her, so she ended up laying 9 eggs all in all, because her eggs didnt hatch (1st round ) I gave her a foster baby that was too small to survive from other nests. She has had a successful batch of 5 chicks early last year. All went well and then suddenly an egg hatched of the 1st round?! That was all still fine because both chicks thrived and did well, i removed the dudd eggs that looked unfertile.

I left 4 eggs that looked possible in but didnt have hope they would hatch and they kept the 2 chicks warm and centered anyway.Now the Chicks have down and pin-feathers, and huge feet. BUT 2 tiny babies have just hatched and she is feeding all but the big chicks are going to trample on the tiny ones. Can I still foster out the two bigger chicks (They were born around 20,22nd March) to a mother with similar size chicks, she only has 2. To prevent the young ones from being trampled or should I hand-rear the two big chicks- are they old enough for me to do it? I have done it before and successfully. with bent spoon and breeding feed for parakeets. Putting in millet de-husked in between and grated apple. This is the chick I handreared:

These are the chicks i want to foster

this is the nest i want to put them in very mild female:She is a cinnamon and it would be her sister's chicks

This is their chicks that i would add the two 2 for fostering- is it safe?

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So you are saying that these two chicks also have to tiny newly hatched pinkies in with them?

I can't advise what would be safe in a colony breeding situation, as I have no experience with that. But I have fostered chicks the ages of the two in this photo to other hens breeding in single cages, and they have been fine.

But you only want to move them into nests that have chicks with similar amount of feathering. So I would say you might get away with moving the feathered chick, but not the one that still doesn't have down. The foster mother looks like her chicks are getting close to fledging, so I think it may be too late anyway.

I do think that you can leave the chicks alone where they are. I have had large gaps in age between chicks, and I don't think the younger ones get trampled.

Of course, hand rearing is a good option if you enjoy doing that. The chick with pin feathers looks old enough for that. The one that is still mostly naked looks too young to take away, but that one wouldn't trample a baby anyway.

Good luck however you do it. Actually, I see that the date is three days ago. How are they all now?

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Hi Finnie by the way I don't colony breed my budgies. I sell them to certain shops. I keep different coloureds +mate them with budgies I've bought in.always fresh gene pools. Sisters have males fr other gene pools, brothers too. I don't allow fathers nor mothers to mate with own offspring. I always put a Male+ female in a cage till they bond b4 I put in avery+ sure as can b they stick to that mate.lucky me I suppose but I only have 32 budgies now+some of those chicks will be sold.

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Colony breeding is when you have several pairs in an aviary breeding at the same time rather than selective breeding when you have 1 pair to a breeding cage.

I always put a Male+ female in a cage till they bond b4 I put in avery+ sure as can b they stick to that mate

Even with you placing a pair together before putting them in the aviary they can still find new partners. Budgies aren't mated for life and often will have several males mount them while in an aviary. So all though you think you are making a pair in a separate cage, unless you breed them in that separate cage the female may have several males fertilize her.

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Oh my Gosh I have much to learn! I didn't know they can be mounted by several males! I've always bred them in cages. It's my 1st time breeding in Avery!There's 1 father in Avery,other 1 is being rested with Albino Mom. There's 1 brother in Avery (Lutino-cross)but all other males are new. Thank you so much 4 that info!